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Alternative Perspectives on Japanese Religious History

Submitted to Program Units
1: Japanese Religions Unit

Jessica Starling, Lewis and Clark College, Presiding

Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)

This panel consolidates three papers analyzing aspects of Japanese religions often neglected in dominant historiographies. The first paper explores premodern Buddhist didactic tales featuring impoverished women who pray to Kannon for worldly blessings and argues that these “tales of poor women” associated with Kiyomizudera shaped the development of the temple as a cultic center in Heian Japan (794–1185). The second paper examines an “occult metahistory” discourse connecting ancient Japanese and Jews and considers why such a discourse gained traction in modern Japan. Finally, the third paper highlights Billy Graham’s visit to Japan in 1956 and investigates the implications of the visit for Japanese society in the context of Cold War politics.

Papers

  • Xiao Xiao, Columbia University

    Empowered Narratives— “Tales of Poor Women” and Kiyomizudera in Premodern Japanese Kannon Setsuwa

    Abstract

    This paper explores a sub-genre of premodern Japanese Kannon setsuwa known as “tales of poor women (貧女譚).” Unlike early Chinese Guanyin miracle tales, Japanese Kannon setsuwa are notable for their explicit focus on female sexuality, as well as their frequent (and approving) depiction of female protagonists of low social standing seeking wealth and other worldly benefits. By examining how such tales of marginalized women both shaped and were shaped by Buddhist institutions in 10th and 11th century Japan, this paper will explore how gender and marginality came to be intertwined with issues of pilgrimage, karmic efficacy and even literary genre in early medieval Japan. It also demonstrates how such narratives served as a medium through which underrepresented women influenced the history of Kiyomizudera, one of the best-known Buddhist institutions of Japan’s Heian period (794-1185).

  • Tomoya Fujihara, University of California, Santa Barbara

    Kojiki, the Jews, and the Emperor - Occult Metahistory in Modern Japan

    Abstract

    This paper discusses the complex cultural and intellectual situation in the early phases of Japanese modernization by studying certain occult metahistorical tendencies that developed at the time, with special attention to interactions with similar tendencies from the West. In particular, I address a metahistorical discourse about the alleged relationships between Japan and the Jews, based on the concept of ultra-ancient history (chōkodaishi) that flourished from around 1930 to 1945 and is still partially influential today. As a window into occult metahistory, I will especially explore texts by Ogasawara Kōji (1903-1982). It appears that there existed a sort of “Dark Side” of Japanese modernization, deeply influenced by spiritualism, occultism, and theosophy imported from the West, which produced alternative discourses about Japanese identity and nationalism based on discredited Western ideas combined with creative interpretations of Japanese cultural texts.

     

  • Yusuke Aikawa, Hiroshima University

    Billy Graham's Crusades in Japan: Analyzing Non-Religious Newspaper Coverage and its Implications for U.S.-Japan Relations

    Abstract

    The evangelistic efforts of American evangelist Billy Graham in Japan were met with enthusiasm by Japanese Christians. Despite the small Christian population in Japan, Graham's crusades may have been viewed as a proxy for the U.S. in the context of the Cold War. In 1956, Graham visited Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama, who was also a Christian. The significance of this meeting is particularly noteworthy within the context of the postwar U.S.-Japan alliance. This paper aims to analyze how Japan responded to Graham's crusade by examining articles about his visit to Japan from non-religious newspapers. Through this analysis, the study seeks to determine how Japanese non-religious newspapers, and by extension, Japanese society, viewed Graham and his message. This research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between U.S. diplomacy and politics in Asia, as well as the role of American evangelism during the Cold War.

Responding
Victoria Montrose, Furman University

Business Meeting
Jessica Starling, Lewis and Clark College, Presiding
Takashi Miura, University of Arizona, Presiding
Audiovisual Requirements

Resources

LCD Projector and Screen
Podium microphone

Full Papers Available

No
Program Unit Options

Session Length

2 Hours

Schedule Preference

Saturday, 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Schedule Info

Sunday, 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Tags

# Japanese Buddhism
# women and gender
#marginalized
#premodern
#pilgrimage
#narratives
#Buddhism #China #Japan #EsotericBuddhism #Shingon

Session Identifier

A24-216